The Daughter of the Moon
by xxheartandsoulxx
Summary: A strange woman and a clan of people stumble onto the grounds of the Mirkwood Kingdom, looking for protection against Sauron. Will Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas leave them out in the cold? (This is my first story on Fanfiction, so please be understanding if it's not perfect)
1. Arrival of the Lothlóriens

Lord of the Rings

By: Diana Hawk

Chapter 1: Arrival of the Lothlóriens

"The Orcs are attacking the western side of Middle-Earth. Most cities have already been leveled." Aragorn informed his two friends as they walked down the main hall of the Mirkwood palace.

"Those repulsive creatures are getting stronger." Legolas seethed, crinkling his nose in disgust, "We have to defeat Sauron's evil before his evil defeats us."

"I have heard that the Orcs are trying to make their way to Mirkwood, though many have been killed by our scouts. Still, we had better search the forests, just in case." Gimli said. The others nodded and quickened their pace, throwing open the castle doors and entering the woods.

The trio began looking for Orcs high and low in the forest outside of the Mirkwood kingdom. After about an hour Gimli whined, "We have been searching for hours! My legs are tired and my stomach is empty, let us go back to the castle."

"Be patient, dwarf." Aragorn retorted, "We are bound to find something soon." Just then, a cluster of branches began to crack as if to answer his statement. Alerted by the sudden noise, the warriors wielded their weapons, ready to fight. Instead of Orcs, however, a small group of people emerged from the foliage. One particular woman pushed her way to the front of the group and threw her hands up to show that she was no harm. Aragorn and Gimli lowered their weapons, but Legolas stood strong, tightening his grip on the string of his bow. "Who are you and where do you come from?" he asked angrily, "Speak quickly."

"We are the people of Lórien, about 970 kilometers to the southwest. We heard that the Orcs were targeting our village, so we are fleeing to Mirkwood to get the protection of the elves." The woman said. Legolas narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but Aragorn grabbed onto one of his arms and looked him in the eye. The two men stared at each other for some time, and then Legolas lowered his gaze. He closed his eyes and gave a small nod, as if a silent message had been passed between him and Aragorn during the stare off. "Please believe us." The woman said desperately, "Please."

"Alright, you and your people can come with us to the palace, under one condition; the women and children have to do simple everyday chores around the kingdom and the young lads have to learn how to fight. We cannot have little productivity in this time of crisis."

A murmur of agreement swept through the crowd, and with that, they began their walk to Mirkwood.

"That was very brave of you." Aragorn said to the woman walking next to him.

"Aye, it was." Gimli agreed.

"Why, thank you." She said, pushing matted, curly brown hair out of her face. She looked again at her three rescuers and stated, "You three are quite a group. A dwarf, a human, and an elf, together? I have not heard of such a thing since before the rise of Sauron."

"We are simply acquaintances brought together to find the One Ring and stop Sauron's evil ways." Legolas said briskly. He then turned to regard her more closely, and she turned to do the same. Their eyes met for a second, then she turned away and smiled shyly. "I am sorry that I have not asked you earlier, but what is your name?" He asked.

"My name is Aranelle Daily. What is yours?"

"My name is Legolas, and this is Gimli and Aragorn." He stated, motioning first to himself, then to the dwarf, and then to the human.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Aranelle said, bowing her head slightly.

"Aranelle is such a beautiful name." Aragorn commented.

"Seems a bit Elvish though." Gimli mumbled. Aranelle just chuckled quietly at the antics of the three, how different they were from each other, and kept marching on.

After some time, the forest began to thin out, and the sound of song and laughter echoed throughout the air. "We have arrived at the Mirkwood kingdom." Legolas announced to the group. "If you will please follow me to the castle to meet the king and queen."

In the palace, the people of Lórien lined up silently to see the leaders of the realm, King Thranduil and Queen Ërandrese. Most of the citizens were assigned chores in the villages surrounding the castle, but some, like Aranelle, were kept in the fortress. "You will work either in the dining area preparing food or cleaning the floors of the palace." The king stated bluntly. Aranelle bowed as deeply as she could and spun around to find her new workplace.

"Would you like us to help you find your destination?" Aragorn asked.

"That would be lovely." Aranelle said gratefully as they walked.


	2. Another Day in the Palace

Lord of the Rings

By: Diana Hawk

Chapter 2: Another Day in the Palace

Aranelle awoke early the next morning to dozens of birds singing in perfect harmony outside the window. She breathed in the fresh forest air, stretched, and sprung out of bed. She looked around her new room and realized that clothes as well as sheets and toiletries were placed in the drawers while she was sleeping. She pulled out a beautiful blue dress with an elegant flounce and put slipped it on; it fit perfectly. With finding an outfit out of the way, she strode over to a large mirror next to her bed, did her hair in her signature pinned-up braid, and walked down to the kitchen.

It was extremely loud and busy in the kitchen, with things being shouted over clattering plates and people weaving in and out of the others bustling around them. Aranelle found her place at the serving area and waited to be handed a dish. She spotted an older woman from her village rounding the corner with about three or four plates balanced on the palm of her hand. She yelled out to get her attention, "Good morning Merriam! Fine day is it not?"

"Indeed it is." Merriam answered, passing the plates over to Aranelle, "I hope you like your job, sweetie. I know I do."

Aranelle just sat there and smiled at the kindness of the old lady, when Merriam shouted, "Go on, young one! People are waiting!" Snapping out of her trance she hurried to the dining area to give out the morning's meal. She was already halfway done placing the plates on the tabletop when she noticed Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas sitting at the last table. She ran over with full hands, slipping on the puddle of water that had been spilled. Legolas turned around just in time in order to snag both Aranelle _and _the falling dishes, without dropping a thing. Startled and confused, Aranelle removed herself from the elf's arms and brushed herself off.

"You must be careful while walking around the dining area." He said, giving her back the plates, "I might not always be there to catch you." Embarrassed about the current situation, Aranelle turned abruptly and scurried away, blushing profusely.

"Stupid girl." She told herself, "Why did you have to go and do that? Now everyone who saw that happen thinks you're a clumsy fool." Nevertheless, she continued to work on preparing and cleaning up the dishes at breakfast, not having any more accidents.


	3. The Road Back to Lórien

Lord of the Rings

By: Diana Hawk

Chapter 3: The Road Back to Lórien

Over the next several weeks, Aranelle became close acquaintances with many people, including Eowyn, her brother Eomer, and Arwen. Eowyn and Eomer, both stubborn but valiant, were capable humans that knew their way around a sword. Arwen, however, was more like a flower in Aranelle's eyes: delicate and seemingly easy to break. In truth, Aranelle envied the elf, jealous of her grace, beauty and loving man at her side.

Some relationships, on the other hand, grew even stronger. Aranelle found herself spending more and more time with Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn, becoming one of their group. She felt like she belonged, something she had not felt since she left Lórien. "It has been many moons since you and your people came to Mirkwood." Legolas said to her one evening. Aranelle held her breath and looked far out into the darkening sky, praying that he wouldn't say it. "My father would not be pleased if you stayed any longer. We should get everyone together and head back. The coast seems clear and you shall be safe." Aranelle let out her breath in a long, deep sigh; she did not want to leave this beautiful place behind. Unaware of her protest, Legolas continued, "We leave tonight," and walked off, leaving Aranelle to relish in his words.

Later that night, all of the people of Lórien gathered their belongings and started out of the castle. "Wait!" a familiar voice shouted. Aranelle turned around to see Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn heading their way.

"I thought you three were staying here." Aranelle said in a puzzled tone.

"Do you think we would leave our friend to travel the long journey alone?" Gimli said with a smile and a hearty chuckle.

"I guess not!" Aranelle laughed, motioning for them to hurry up.

The road back to Lórien was monotonous and tiring; the terrain was rugged and the temperature was miserable. One day in particular, it seemed as if the whole horizon was melting into the ground in waves of heat. Aranelle soon urged her people to stop, afraid for their welfare in the weather. "We should arrive in your village in a day's time." Aragorn reminded his female friend, "There is no need to despair." Aranelle looked across the barren plain where her fellow villagers, many of which were shielding their faces from the harsh sun, were sitting.

"The children and elderly shall die." She replied quietly, "I cannot stand to see that happen."

"We have to keep moving." Aragorn insisted, turning to face the crowd. "March on," He yelled, "For shortly we shall see the forest of Lórien!" Groaning in frustration, everyone got up and continued their hike, silently cursing Mordor for such conditions.


	4. The 'Dream Land'

Lord of the Rings

By: Diana Hawk

Chapter 4: The 'Dream Land'

Just as Aragorn had promised, in less than twenty-four hours, the people of Lórien began to see the tree line of their country. With great whoops of laughter and song, they ran into their beloved forest home, leaving Aranelle, Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn behind. "You know, Lórien is called the 'Dream Land' because of its beauty and serenity." Aranelle stated to the men at her side as they walked.

"I had heard about this place in storybooks when I was younger." Legolas said, taking in his surroundings, "The writers always made it out to seem magical. A place of song and dance."

"It is true. This country is very magical indeed." Aranelle replied with a smile, thinking about Legolas as an elfling, sitting in his father's lap while he read.

Soon, the thick veil of trees began to thin out, and a beautiful castle lay ahead of the four. Giggling with anticipation, Aranelle threw her arms out to either side of her and took off running, intent to touch everything in the area. The tickle of the long golden grass on her fingertips was invigorating, and the splash of the cool stream water nearby was refreshing. The three men just sat back and observed her wild behavior as her giggles and small squeals of pleasure drifted back to them. "She must have really missed this place." Gimli said, watching the childish antics of the woman. A small smile crossed Legolas's face as he watched her spin around several times in the grass, soon collapsing in a heap of laughter and shortness of breath. Chuckling to himself, the elf ran over to Aranelle, who was still lying in the grass, trying to recover from her dizziness. "Did you have fun there?" he asked, reaching out his hand to help her up.

"Oh, yes I did!" she responded happily, grabbing his hand and pulling herself up, "You should have fun more often, Legolas!"


	5. A Game of Tig

Lord of the Rings

By: Diana Hawk

Chapter 5: A Game of Tig

As Gimli and Aragorn made their way over to Legolas and Aranelle, she said, "Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, would you like to play a game of tig with me?"

"Ah, tig, I used to love that when I was a boy." Aragorn recalled, "But I am sorry to say I cannot play it anymore. I must save my strength and energy."

"I must say the same." Gimli said sadly, "Dwarves are not made for running long distances." Obviously upset by the fact that two friends could not play her game, she turned to Legolas.

"Do you want to play?"

As embarrassed as he was to say it, Legolas did not know how to play this game of so called 'tig'. Aranelle just giggled quietly and explained the game to him, "So someone is 'it'. The 'it' person has to tap the non-'it' person and say 'tig!' Then the person tapped is the new person that is 'it'. The key to the game is that you have to run away from the person who is 'it'."

"That sounds childish." Legolas said, crossing his arms.

"It is childish." She sighed, "But it is fun, and you need to have more fun in your life. Now what is your excuse?" Realizing that he had no excuse, Legolas agreed to play her game. "Just a warning, no one's ever caught me without me either slowing down or them giving up." Aranelle said cheekily. She then walked nonchalantly over to the elf, roughly hit him on the shoulder and yelled, "Tig!" and ran off.

"Get her! Get her!" Aragorn and Gimli cheered in unison. Legolas then ran off after her, already having more fun than he expected.

The game lasted for a long time with no prevail. Legolas was still 'it' and Aranelle was still running. Over walls and in fountains, through gardens and under bridges they ran, laughing and shouting happily. Little did they know their antics began to draw a small crowd, some of them cheering for Legolas, others cheering for Aranelle. Suddenly, Aranelle began to slow down just a bit, seemingly tiring out. Legolas knew that this was his chance, and sprinted up behind her and grabbed onto her waist, spinning her around while the both of them laughed like small children. Soon the both of them got dizzy and ended up falling over in a tangle of arms and legs.

Not knowing what had happened at first, Legolas tried to shake the dizziness out of him when he heard a quiet voice say his name. Quickly realizing what he was laying on, he propped himself up on his elbows, afraid he had crushed the girl. But Aranelle was looking up at him, smiling happily and giggling, her chocolate brown hair fanning out beneath her while his platinum hair flowed onto her shoulders. Suddenly the elf noticed how beautiful she was. Her skin was so soft, her giggles so adorable, her perfumes so enchanting, and her overall figure so wonderful to take in. For a moment he gazed into her deep hazel eyes and imagined if he could be like this with her everyday. But his thoughts were interrupted by a small cough, which lightly urged him to get off of her. "I am deeply sorry." He mumbled to her as they got up. "I-"

"Shhh." Aranelle whispered, putting her index finger to his lips. "Did you have fun?" The elf just nodded, as the woman's finger was still on his lips. "Then that's all that matters." She said. She then turned around and started to walk in the other direction, when Legolas noticed he had been holding his breath. He let it out slowly and thought about her finger on his lips. He sighed quietly, following her to wherever she was taking him.


	6. A Misunderstanding

Lord of the Rings

By: Diana Hawk

Chapter 6: A Misunderstanding

"Aranelle?" A voice called out from across the castle grounds. At first it was unsure of itself, but as whosever voice it was got closer, it became more definite, "Aranelle!" Aranelle began to turn furiously in all directions to find the source of the voice, and when she did, a huge ear-to-ear grin lit up her face.

"Siddhartha!" she shouted back, running to meet the elf calling her name. Once they got close enough to each other, Aranelle jumped into his arms as he spun her around, softly kissing her on the nose. Suddenly, a strong sinking feeling seeped into Legolas's stomach.

"_Is she already courting?"_ he asked himself. Gathering themselves, the two walked over to the three men, arm in arm.

"My lords, this is Siddhartha. We have been together for many years." Aranelle said, a beaming smile on her face.

Suddenly, a small tug on Aranelle's dress startled her. Turning around, she saw a little girl, about the age of two at her side, and her face lit up instantly. "Tari!" Aranelle said, practically jumping with joy, taking the child into her arms, "How's my little girl?" The toddler babbled incoherently in a foreign language, causing Aragorn and Gimli to grin warm-heartedly. Legolas, however, took a step back, heart-wrenched.

"_She already has a child."_ He told himself, _"Look at them, they look almost exactly alike." _He had finally begun to feel something special about Aranelle, something his thousands of years of knowledge did not know. All he wanted at the moment was to push Siddhartha and Tari aside and hug her, never letting her go. But alas, she already had a child and a mate. At this thought, Legolas's heart sank deeper than the Great River, and he sighed much too loud.

"Are you alright, Legolas?" Aranelle asked, obviously concerned. The elf nodded his head, looking down in shame for his loss of steely cold nature. Knowing that was not the answer, Aranelle pursed her lips, but let the subject go.

All of a sudden, Tari squirmed in Aranelle's arms, causing Aranelle to put her on the ground. Unsteadily, the child ran over to Legolas and latched onto his leg. "Ada!" she said excitedly. Laughing, Aranelle tried to pick the stubborn toddler up.

"No, no," she said, "He is not your father. Your father is long gone." But Tari stayed where she was, tightening her grip on the elf's leg. Legolas shot Aranelle a confused look, and she explained, "Her father died in battle shortly after she was born. I have no idea why she thinks you are her father." Nodding his head in understanding, he picked up the child, and when he did, she buried her face into his neck and clung to his hair. A small smile crossed his face as he realized how endearing it was to hold a child. It was almost like one day he would hold his own child himself.

To everyone's surprise, Tari was asleep in Legolas's arms in a matter of minutes. "Let me take her back to the castle." She said to the others, "Tari might need a nap." And with that, she gently took the child from Legolas's arms and walked towards the huge castle in the background, cradling the toddler's head on her shoulder.

When Siddhartha was sure that Aranelle was out of earshot, he said, "Tari isn't ours. Her mother died during childbirth and her father, well, Aranelle already told you how he met his demise. We took on nurturing her about a year ago. Aranelle tells her to call her Nana, or mother. I just tell her to call me by my name. Obviously, the fact that she doesn't have a father bothers her, but I have never seen her call a stranger Ada before."

"So you and Aranelle are courting." Legolas pressed.

"No." Siddhartha replied, "We have been good friends for many, many years. As a matter of fact, I am her father's advisor." Then he added in a low tone, "Her father is the king here in Lórien." This surprised all three men.

"So the child is not hers, you are not courting her, and her father is the king?" Gimli confirmed.

Siddhartha nodded confidently, then said, "How about you get comfortable with your surroundings. Take a tour of the grounds and castle. Meet the king and queen." Everyone started to walk toward the castle when Siddhartha grabbed Legolas's wrist and separated him from the group. "I know why Tari ran towards you." He said quietly.

"Why?" Legolas asked, curious to know about the child's actions.

"In Lórien, we believe that children under the age of five are intuitive. And I believe you are the answer to Aranelle's letters. Tari sensed that in you and ran to you." Legolas furrowed his brow in confusion. "Ever since she arrived in Mirkwood, she has been sending me long rambling letters about an elf that is good to her. He is beautiful inside and out, but he is a bit distant and cold. She feels that he has never felt love before."

"_Love! That was what I was feeling when he was playing tig with Aranelle! And what I must have been feeling when he saw her with Siddhartha was jealousy." _He thought excitedly. He beamed at Siddhartha when he understood. He loved her!

"Please take it slow with her though." Siddhartha warned, "She becomes nervous when things get too fast with men. And by the look on your face, you don't want to lose her." Legolas shook his head vigorously to show that he indeed wanted to have a chance with this gorgeous woman. "Night is coming fast." Siddhartha continued with a wink, "I'll try to set something subtle up."


End file.
